Dhaulagiri

The seventh-highest mountain on Earth, 8,167 metres in north-central Nepal. The name comes from the Sanskrit Dhavala Giri — "white mountain." Dhaulagiri sits across the Kali Gandaki gorge from Annapurna, and the gorge between them is the deepest valley on Earth measured by surrounding peak height. From the bottom of the gorge to the summit of either mountain, the relief is over 5,500 metres.

The first ascent came in 1960 by a Swiss expedition led by Max Eiselin. The summit was reached by an international team of six climbers — Swiss, Austrian, Polish, and the Sherpa Nawang Dorje. The expedition was notable for being the first 8000-metre climb to use a fixed-wing aircraft for high-altitude logistics. A modified Pilatus Porter, christened the Yeti, landed supplies at 5,800 metres. The plane crashed on the glacier later in the expedition and was abandoned.

The standard route up the Northeast Ridge crosses extensive avalanche terrain. The mountain is technically more demanding than Cho Oyu and less than Annapurna. The fatality rate is approximately 16 percent. The South Face, attempted by Reinhold Messner in 1977, remains one of the major unclimbed problems in Himalayan mountaineering — a 4,000-metre wall that has resisted every serious attempt.

What distinguishes Dhaulagiri is isolation. Until the road into the Kali Gandaki was completed in the late 20th century, the mountain was approached by a fourteen-day trek from the nearest road. The expedition style was older. Climbers who attempted it knew they were committed for two months at minimum. Some of that character persists. Dhaulagiri has fewer teams on it in any given season than the more famous neighbours. The mountain is climbed by people who specifically want Dhaulagiri.